1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus and a method for using the apparatus to remove surface defects from a formed workpiece and, more particularly, to remove surface defects from the teeth of a rotary gear.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Apparatus has heretofore been provided to remove surface defects from a formed rotary workpiece such as a rotary gear having teeth generated around a central rotary axis of the gear about which it rotates. The surface defects may be scratches or nicks, etc., and can cause rejection of the gear during quality control checking. Rejected gears necessarily cause an increase in the price of gears that are accepted during the quality control checking.
Apparatus for removing gear surface defects has been embodied by machines that are referred to as burnishing machines. During use, prior art machines of this type rotate the workpiece being processed while engaging a plurality of rotary tools with the workpiece. Pressure that maintains the engaged condition of the tools and the workpiece is supplied by a single movable tool. The other tools rotate about respective fixed axes while the movable tool moves toward and away from the other tools as the tools engage "high spot" defects on the workpiece. When one of the fixed tools engages a "high spot" defect on the tool, the workpiece moves along with the movable tool away from the fixed tools. Such movement of the workpiece as it is being processed causes an instanteous rapid sliding movement between the interengaged surfaces of the tools and the workpiece.